It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
AEW Dynamite Grand Slam opened with Excalibur welcoming us along with “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz, Tony Schiavone and Ring of Honor’s Ian Riccaboni as we are ready for our first Championship match of the night. Bobby Cruise does the ring introductions and former ROH owner Cary Silkin is sitting ringside as Judas hits and the crowd at Arthur Ashe sings along.
MATCH #1: ROH World Championship Match:
Claudio Castagnoli © vs. “The Wizard” Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho agrees to start with the Code of Honor, but then the two men waste no time as Claudio Castagnoli just batters him with a series of uppercuts before lifting him up and dropping him on the top rope, and booting him to the floor. The champion continues the attack on the floor, sending Jericho into the ring apron, but Jericho then puts Cary Silkin in the way to take advantage, throwing Silkin to the floor afterward.
Despite that, Claudio regains control when they get into the ring, and they then begin trading chops. The two brawl to the apron and they go back and forth with forearms as Jericho then rakes the eye, and suplexes the champion to the floor. Jericho then sidesteps a running uppercut attempt, and he follows up with a boot to the head and a catapult underneath the bottom rope.
Castagnoli is able to connect with some uppercuts though, and he then drops Jericho with a dropkick in the corner, but as he goes to the top turnbuckle Jericho swipes his legs. The JAS leader heads up and aims for a hurricanrana but Castagnoli catches it, only for Jericho to reverse back into the move during an avalanche attempt! Jericho tries a Codebreaker, but he gets caught and thrown into the air for an uppercut, leading to a near fall.
Castagnoli then brings in the hammer and anvil elbow strikes, and he then stomps down on him before locking in the Sharpshooter. Jericho gets out and aims for a low blow but that is blocked and turned into a Ricola Bomb, which forces Jericho to kick out yet again. Castagnoli then looks to springboard off the second rope, but he does so directly into a Codebreaker, and this time it’s the champion having to kick out.
The Walls Of Jericho then gets locked in, but Castagnoli rolls through and then stomps away on his opponent before busting out the Giant Swing! He catapults Jericho into the turnbuckle, following up with a lariat, but it still isn’t enough. Jericho then grabs his bat, but Castagnoli catches it, yet he is then sent toward the referee which leads to him checking himself. Jericho then hits a low blow and the Judas Effect to add to his legacy!
Winner and NEW ROH World Champion: Chris Jericho
After the match: The rest of JAS come out to celebrate, including Daniel Garcia, who appears visibly less impressed than his stablemates.
MATCH #2: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match:
Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee © vs. Anthony Bowens and Max Caster
Anthony Bowens instantly tries to take down Keith Lee, and he just uses his power to throw him across the ring, and he then shows his athleticism to take him down again, this time with a hurricanrana. Max Caster then comes in, and he smartly reverses the throw with an arm drag, which leads to a scissoring attempt as Swerve Strickland gets in and dropkicks them.
The champions then slow the pace down and isolate Caster, but he continues to fight, attempting to suplex Lee which doesn’t work out as he gets nailed with a forearm strike. However, in their corner Caster fights out, and this time he nails a brianbuster to Lee! Bowens is able to tag in and he drops Lee but Swerve connects with some smart strikes to regain control for his team.
Lee then powers Bowens up as Strickland waits on the top turnbuckle but he fights it off by sending the Limitless One across the ring, as he avoids a stomp from Strickland, and launches Swerve into the buckles, only to eat a headbutt from Lee. He then launches Bowens over the top rope onto the ramp, and Caster gets dropped by the champion as well. Lee heads to the second rope, but misses with the moonsault press.
Swerve then appears with a boombox, but he ends up nailing Lee with it instead, leading to The Acclaimed scissoring as Bowens hits a flipping neckbreaker. However, Caster doesn’t hit the Mic Drop as he lands awkwardly and hurts his knee. The Acclaimed then get sent down as Lee tags out, but Swerve kicks Caster to the jaw, only to then be taken out with a back suplex from the challenger.
Caster once again goes for his finisher, but his knee slows him down, and Swerve blocks it. He drops him down from the top rope as Lee smashes into the back of him but their timing is off, so Lee throws Caster into a powerbomb from Swerve for good measure, but Caster still kicks out! Bowens pulls his partner out, but Swerve launches himself to take them out, only to come face to face with Billy Gunn.
Lee pulls him away from Gunn, but as the official is distracted Gunn hits a Famouser on Swerve! Lee gets thrown to the outside while Caster connects with the Mic Drop, Bowens blocks Lee, and NEW Tag Team Champions are crowned!
Winners and NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions: Anthony Bowens and Max Caster
After the match: Lexy Nair interviewed FTR backstage, who congratulated The Acclaimed on their win and said they’ve been number one ranked since April. They were about to challenge the champs until Gunn Club interrupted and called themselves the younger FTR.
Wheeler Yuta is shown with Tony Schiavone, but before he can discuss tonight’s main event, MJF makes his way out. He calls all of the fans his loyal devil worshippers before labeling Schiavone as a fat old prick. He also says Yuta won’t ever receive a reaction like that because he is mid, but also because he is a God, and there isn’t a man in the arena who wouldn’t let him sleep with their wives.
He claims to be a generational talent, but Yuta admits that he does have some truth to what he says, calling him the king of the low-hanging fruit, and he teases taking a shot about his engagement but he opts not to. He says his fiancé is maybe a little too smart, and perhaps she knows that he is a spineless, worthless piece of human garbage and she will walk out on him like he did to others.
MJF then mocks Yuta’s personality, and he says he is here to wish the members of the Blackpool Cuckhold Club good luck for their main event. He believes they’re fighting to lose to MJF, not become the World Champion. He says Yuta can go to Danielson for advice about how to be injury prone, while he can also ask William Regal how to pop pills, and that leads to Yuta hitting a strong right hand.
MJF drops him with a headbutt, and he then this Schiavone to the floor. Yuta fights back against MJF, dominating until W. Morrissey appears, choking Yuta out until MJF nails him with his Dynamite Diamond ring.
We get a segment from earlier in the day with Diamante interrupting Jade Cargill and told her that her backup for their TBS Championship match on Rampage is rapper Trina. This upset Jade, who asked if Kiera Hogan knew about this before storming off.
MATCH #3: AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match:
PAC © vs. Orange Cassidy
Orange Cassidy launches his sunglasses at the champion, and he then teases putting his hands into his pockets to goad PAC in, allowing him to almost connect with the Orange Punch, but the Englishman escapes to the floor. Cassidy then hits his famous kicks, and PAC wants more so the challenger hits a dropkick, but PAC then fires back with a shotgun dropkick and then he stomps away on him in the corner.
PAC then takes the fight outside of the ring, slamming him into the ring apron as Cassidy then gets launched into the ring post for good measure. The champion launches himself to the outside, connecting to Cassidy as he kills the pace inside the ring. Cassidy then gets sent into the turnbuckles, but he rolls over it and then sends PAC into the top turnbuckle before hitting a crossbody.
However, the champion wastes no time in fighting back with a couple of German suplexes. PAC then hits a huge running boot in the corner, but before he can hit the Black Arrow his opponent slowly rolls across the ring, which leads to PAC just nailing him with another German suplex. Once again he goes to the top rope, and this time Cassidy just lays there with his legs up, and as PAC tries to deal with that, Cassidy almost catches him with a roll-up, and then he hits the Stundog Millionaire.
Cassidy follows it up with a tope suicide and then a diving DDT when they get back inside the ring, and he follows it with another DDT, but the champion kicks out! He aims for Orange Punch but that is reversed into the Brutalizer, yet Cassidy gets out with a pinfall attempt. While PAC escapes that, he then eats an Orange Punch, but he grabs the ropes just before the three count.
PAC escapes to the timekeeper’s area, and he grabs a hammer which he nails Cassidy with when he heads to get him, hiding it from the official, and that leads to him retaining.
WINNER: PAC
MATCH #4: Fatal Four-Way Match for the AEW Interim Women’s World Championship:
Toni Storm © vs. Athena vs. Serena Deeb vs. Britt Baker
Immediately Athena drops Serena Deeb with a big boot while Toni Storm suplexes Britt Baker as the two babyfaces then get into it. They showcase some chain wrestling but Deeb then gets involved, breaking up their pinfall attempt before she locks in a double submission on both of them, suplexing Athena while slamming down on Storm’s legs in an impressive double move.
Baker returns at this point, throwing some forearms to Deeb before hitting a sling blade. But, she has no time to celebrate as Storm comes in again, connecting with a dropkick and then a thrown, but as she goes to the top rope Deeb cuts her off as the two heels look to throw her down, but Athena comes underneath them, and all four women go crashing down. Baker levels Athena with a thrust kick, following it up with a lariat.
Britt then throws Athena to Rebel who hits a clothesline, while Deeb dominates the champion inside the ring as she gets catapulted into the bottom rope. When Baker comes back in Storm turns her attention to her, and she locks in a submission while Deeb does to Athena, but while they have the moves locked on they also slap each other, eventually letting go of their holds to fight each other.
Storm comes out on top and then nails Athena with a Hip Attack, but Baker takes her down with a swinging neckbreaker only for Athena to stomp her down. Deeb sends Athena out of the ring, and she then slams Baker and Athena onto the ropes before hitting a neckbreaker to Storm, getting a near fall. She then sets in the Serenity Lock on the champion, but that gets split and Athena shows great strength by holding up both Deeb and Baker, dropping them to the mat.
She then slingshots off the top rope to slam the champion down, but Deeb breaks it up just in time. Baker then gets rid of her, almost pinning Storm, but she reverses in order to retain the Championship.
Winner: Toni Storm
After the match: Baker attacks Storm, but Jamie Hayter comes out and they end up reuniting to attack Storm and Athena, dominating both women. However, as they beat them up, Saraya fka Paige in the WWE makes her AEW debut to a HUGE reaction as the heels back down and get told, “this is MY HOUSE!”
A Darby Allin video plays hyping his No DQ tag team match on Rampage with Sting against House of Black. Darby is carrying a bodybag on the subway, in a taxi and told the driver to take him to Arthur Ashe.
MAIN EVENT: Finals of the Grand Slam Championship Tournament:
(Winner will become the NEW AEW World Champion)
Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson
Lord William Regal joined the commentary team for this match.
“Somebody in the B.C.C. is going to be the AEW World Champion,” said Regal.
Straight away both men exchange chops as Bryan Danielson then works on the ankle of Jon Moxley before unloading on forearm strikes to his Blackpool Combat Club stablemate while MJF is shown watching on with his chip. Danielson continues to dominate, running in with his dropkick to the corner as he then slaps the former World Champion which fires his opponent up.
However, Danielson continues to unload some massive chops to Moxley, but as he goes for another dropkick Moxley flips the bird and dodges it, following up with toe kicks to his spine of Bryan. The American Dragon fights back though, sending Moxley out of the ring as he follows up with a diving knee strike and then a dropkick from the top turnbuckle when they re-enter the ring.
However, Moxley manages to grab the choke, bringing them both to the apron, but Bryan once again reverses quickly, suplexing Moxley onto the apron, and he follows that up with more big chops to the former Shield star. Back in the ring, Danielson starts working the arm of Moxley, placing it on the mat as he stomps down on it, which he continues to focus on. Danielson then charges in with the Busaiku Knee, but Moxley is able to kick out.
Danielson tries an attack from the top rope but Moxley reverses with a powerbomb and then locks in a single-leg crab submission, while he gets out of it, Moxley keeps up the attack with a rake of the back. On the top turnbuckle he hits several headbutts, but Danielson slips under him and throws Moxley awkwardly to the ropes before Bryan throws him back down to the mat from that height, leading to Moxley kicking out.
However, he transitions from kicking out to the LeBell Lock, yet Danielson knows how to slip out of it, and he ends up locking in the Cattle Mutilation, which he is able to reverse out of, only to suffer the elbow strikes. Moxley responds with the King Kong Lariat, but once again the Busaiku Knee is struck, which Moxley kicks out of once again! However, out of nowhere, Moxley hits a Stomp to the Achilles and a Death Rider, and this time it is Bryan kicking out!
Elbow strikes are then exchanged, and Danielson wins out hammering down with boots to the face, but Moxley picks the ankle and delivers plenty of his own. Danielson manages to find the LeBell Lock, he gets himself out and as they brawl up the stage, Moxley delivers another Death Rider, but this isn’t enough either! He then locks in a sleeper hold, and he tries to reverse out but Moxley keeps it locked, and Danielson fades out.
Winner and NEW AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley
After the match: Regal joined both of them in the ring, as Moxley had the AEW World Championship and Danielson was asking Regal if he had passed out to end the show.
